The Last Blockbuster

Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.

Three "lost" decades of economic stagnation since the collapse of Japan's bubble era have fundamentally altered the country's global image, and spawned the term "Cheap Japan." What will it take to truly revive Japan's economy once again? In a rapidly changing world, the question of how the globe's third largest economy can avoid being left behind is perhaps more pertinent than ever. Drawing on both expert guidance and in-depth analysis of a wide range of available data, we hunt for clues that might point the way to Japan's ever-elusive economic renaissance.

Discipline and productivity are more regimented in Japan than in many other parts of the world. For the Japanese, survival means doing things together rather than asserting North-American-style individualism. Japan's industry has automated and computerized at an unparalleled rate. Open-concept offices and collaborative work styles offer a model of the changing style of modern work that could inspire the West to modify their processes as well.

Edgar Morin, chronique d'un regard

Díky, pane Kříženecký

Documentary on Ciby 2000, the French film production company founded by Francis Bouygues in 1990.

A feature-length documentary exploring the unsolved murder of French bicyclist Alain Malessard who was found dead in an Oregon Coast campground on Thanksgiving 1987.

France, 1974. The erotic film Emmanuelle, directed by Just Jaeckin, breaks all records for cinema attendance: the story of the creation of a sensual epic that marked a turning point in the struggle for sexual emancipation.

He never scored a single goal as a professional, but he profoundly transformed soccer. Starting from nothing, Jean-Claude Darmon ushered in a new era for the sport: one of business and spectacle. Sponsorship, marketing, television rights—he designed it all, negotiated it all, and turned it all upside down. Between confidential agreements, daring moves, and ego rivalries, his rise to the top reads like an epic tale.

À la canne blanche

France, le plus beau décor de cinéma

World-renowned director Martin Scorsese narrates this journey through his favorites in Italian cinema.

Nicolas Billon analyzes the success of American popular cinema at the end of the 20th century. Film critics, academics and directors discuss these films that made a mark on audiences in the 1980s and 1990s. "Jaws" was one of the pioneers, and Steven Spielberg later became the benchmark. These films, very diverse, have propelled their main actors, such as Tom Cruise or Arnold Scharzenegger, to the rank of stars. On the technical side, the sometimes abusive use of special effects underlines the technological mutation of cinema. This documentary rehabilitates a number of films sometimes despised by critics by placing them in a historical perspective.

A tribute to Italian filmmaker Sergio Corbucci (1926-90), presented by American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.

Spain, early 20th century. As a child, Leocadia Cantalapiedra was dazzled by a new art: cinema; but she lives in a society where directing films is something only men can do.

This documentary takes you on a brief walkthrough of the Vinegar Syndrome headquarters in Bridgeport, CT. Included with the "Lost Picture Show" box set.

Before computer graphics, special effects wizardry, and out-of-this world technology, the magic of animation flowed from the pencils of two of the greatest animators The Walt Disney Company ever produced -- Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. Frank and Ollie, the talent behind BAMBI, PINOCCHIO, LADY AND THE TRAMP, THE JUNGLE BOOK, and others, set the standard for such modern-day hits as THE LION KING. It was their creative genius that helped make Disney synonymous with brilliant animation, magnificent music, and emotional storytelling. Take a journey with these extraordinary artists as they share secrets, insights, and the inspiration behind some of the greatest animated movies the world has ever known!

A chronicle of the long career of American filmmaker Roger Corman, the most tenacious and ingenious low-budget producer and director in the US film industry, a pioneer of independent filmmaking and discoverer of new talent.

In the shadows of a Cold War Military depot, a colony of pint-sized predators faces an uncertain future as one owl biologist races to save it from extinction. As a young family of burrowing owls learns to grow up wild, will his scientific discoveries be enough to rescue this fragile population in the wake of a changing planet?

In 1964, Henri-Georges Clouzot's production of L'Enfer came to a halt. Despite huge expectations, major studio backing and an unlimited budget, after three weeks the production collapsed. This documentary presents Inferno's incredible expressionistic original rushes, screen tests, and on-location footage, whilst also reconstructing Clouzot's original vision, and shedding light on the ill-fated endeavor through interviews, dramatizations of unfilmed scenes, and Clouzot's own notes.